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By Hannah Wallace | February 1, 2011

Sarasota Collection Orange is the new white. You may have noticed it popping up everywhere—fashion, industrial design, tiles and interiors. The Westin Resort in Dubai and the Four Food Cocktail Salon in Long Island, N.Y., have both chosen orange as their main color schemes. Colors affect human behavior and... Read more »

Orange is the new white. You may have noticed it popping up everywhere—fashion, industrial design, tiles and interiors. The Westin Resort in Dubai and the Four Food Cocktail Salon in Long Island, N.Y., have both chosen orange as their main color schemes.

Colors affect human behavior and psychology. In those terms, orange is happy and bright, exciting and energizing. Orange cheers you up; it brightens rooms. It puts a smile on your face.

The Sarasota Collection embraces orange’s uplifting spirit and demonstrates how the color can accent your design and warm a room. Explore the Sarasota Collection’s showroom to discover the influence of orange.

Light Up Your Life

Available exclusively at Sarasota’s Light Up You Life, the Coral Reef Light, 63 inches tall, emits warm white LED light from three overlapping lighting layers, measuring 20 inches in circumference. The lighting layers can each be swiveled activated independently. The interactive design, surpassing traditional lamp’s limitation, allows the user to create his or her own desired lighting effect and ambience.

Tony H2O comes to Sarasota

Tony Ludovico, world-renowned free-diving underwater photographer brings his world headquarters and gallery to Sarasota, making it Ludovico’s fifth gallery location, with others in Tampa, Ocean Springs, Mississippi and Cabo San Lucas. Ludovico has traveled the world to capture his images, and especially loves frequenting the Galapagos Islands, Panama, Isla Mujeres, the Bahamas and of course both of Florida’s coasts.

In waters as deep as 1,000 feet, Ludovico ventures a dozen feet below the surface with no breathing apparatus. He holds his breath for up to four minutes to capture the perfect moment of synchronicity between seal life and natural light. And with no SCUBA gear, Ludovico lessens the interference of bubbles.

View more than 100 of his archival pigment prints on canvas and watercolor papers at the new 3,600-square-foot gallery. TonyH2O also features a unique line of outdoor furniture showcasing selections of Ludovico’s images with UV-protected, waterproof, weatherproof high gloss.

Living Walls

Eco-conscious Living Walls Furniture and Design is determined to leave the smallest possible imprint on the environment. That’s why the Main Street mainstay offers Modern Twist products, all of which are free of BPA, latex and chemicals, in addition to boasting a nonporous, germ-free surface.

Estel Furniture at Home Resource

Home Resource is now the only dealer on Florida’s gulf coast to offer designs by world-renowned Italian furniture company Estel. Florida Gulf Coast’s leading retailer of modern and contemporary home furnishings, Home Resource will carry the Simon and Frighetto brands, starting with the Simon line of dining and cocktail tables and seating from Frighetto.

“Estel’s collection offers a great range of high design products that will be appreciated by Homes Resource’s discriminating clientele and lovers of design,” says Home Resource owner Michael Bush.

Headquartered in Thiene, near Vicenza, Italy, Estel is one of the world’s leading office and home furniture designers and manufacturers. It is descended from a company founded by Alfredo Stella in 1937. In addition to Simon and Frighetto, other prestigious brands include Arte & Cuoio, Triangolo, Zeritalia, Sica, Deko and Syn-Tech. Common characteristics include a commitment to research and design excellence.

The Sarpi table, an alternative to the Doge table, was designed by Italian architect Carlo Scarpa, who drew inspiration from the materials and shapes of his surroundings. The Sarpi and Doge tables were inspired by the railings on a bridge that Scarpa walked every day to and from a project site.

Light Bulb Laws

New light bulb efficiency standards go into effect Jan. 1, 2012, but false rumors already abound, says Rob Barnard of Bee Ridge Lighting. “I’ve heard many people state that there will be a ban on incandescent lightbulbs,” he says. “This is untrue.” Instead, he says, there will be a government-mandated limit on the amount of electricity a bulb can use to output a certain amount of light. For instance, a 100-watt bulb produces roughly 1,200 to 1,400 lumens. Under the new regulations, no more than 71 watts can be used to produce between 1,490 and 2,600 lumens. Likewise, in 2013, 75-watt bulbs will be reduced to 53 watts; in 2014, 60 watts will be 43; and in 2014 40-watts will be 29. This change will utilize slightly different technology that will be indiscernible to the average consumer. In other words, incandescent bulbs will still be available; they’ll just be more efficient.